Land of Oz
Dorothy Gale in Return to Oz (1985) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) The Land of Oz, So Much More Than A Kansas Dream... The Land of Oz is a fictional place that was invented by L. Frank Baum, author and creator of the Oz legacy and all of it's spellbinding characters. It was first introduced in circa 1900 when Baum wrote his first Oz book titled 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. It is the place where the story takes place in when the books' main character and child protagonist Dorothy Gale and her pet dog named Toto are taken to when they are both swept away in a cyclone while aloft in a farmhouse on the prairies of Kansas. Oz is a magical country that was enchanted with the Fairy-Magic of Queen Lurline. It also neighbors other fantasy lands such as the Kingdom of Ev, and the infamous Nome King's mountain. Unlike the classic 1939 movie, Baum intended the land of Oz to be a real place, not just a cameo delusion or dream from a bump on the head that Dorothy Gale had as it was made out to be in the movie. To Oz? To Oz! Oz is rarley ever visited by outsiders. Oz and it's inhabitants who live there are completely cut off from the rest of the normal world because it is all surrounded by a great vast Deadly Desert that has never been crossed. Anyone who has attempted to do so on their own, has never been seen nor heard from ever again to tell about it. It is possible that they in fact did successfully cross it, if so one shall never know. Those who did cross this dangerous desert to talk about it after, crossed it by being carried over it through Via Cyclone, Whirlwind or in a Tsunami like Betsy Bobbin and her comrade, Hank the Mule who washed up on the Kingdom of the Royal Rose Garden, a land of living and talking flowers neighboring Oz. Crossing Deadly Deserts Return to Oz (1985) The reason why this desert is so deadly, isnt just because of it's rough and harsh climate, but also because anything breathing and living, touches this desert even if just accidentally, dies by instantly turning to sand. Her Royal Highness, Princess Ozma once used her fairy magic to create a very long rug to walk on to cross the desert safley. A magic rug that could roll out forever when she and Dorothy visited the land of Ev and had many adventures after defeating the infamous Princess Langwidere and the wrathful Nome King. Geography Each country in the land of Oz has a specific color that represents the counties: * Blue is Munchkin Country which is home to the Munchkins of the East. * Purple is Gillikin Country which is home to the Gillikins of the North. * Yellow is Winkie Country which is home to the Winkies of the West. * Red is Quadling Country which is home to the Quadlings of the South. * Green for the middle of Oz where the Emerald City is located and it's citizens who live there. The city is the capital in all the land. There is a Yellow Brick Road in the land of Oz, it leads to the Emerald City. This brightly paved road runs many, many miles and is the most famous and known road in all the land. This can be seen in the official Map of Oz. Oz is roughly rectangular in shape and divided along the diagonals into four countries: Munchkin Country in the East, Quadling Country in the South, Winkie Country in the West, and Gillikin Country in the North. These surround its capital, the Emerald City, in the center. The land is surrounded on all four sides by the Deadly Desert, which helps to protect it from discovery and invasion. Oz is the largest fantasy country. Oz History-Fairy Queens & Mortal Kings In a few versions and takes on the backstory of Oz, Lurline's character is romanticized. Long before Dorothy Gale came via Cyclone, and even long before the Wizard, Oscar Diggs crossed over the Deadly Desert and straight into the realm of Oz, coming from our world and arrived in the land via Hot-Air Balloon, Oz was once ruled by a very old yet kind and gentle King of human blood named Pastoria. Now it is rumored that Pastoria was also once in love with a beautiful enchantress named Lurline, the Fairy Queen who processed great magical powers only for good and is credited for making Oz a fairy country by enchanting it and cutting it from the rest of the world centuries ago. Lurline and Pastoria came together as one, and had a beautiful baby girl whom Lurline named Ozma. The daughter of the two was half human and half fairy, making her immortal like Lurline even though Pastoria was not. After that Lurline left the land of Oz to continue enchanting other lands and created other realms similar to Oz. She put Pastoria in charge which entitled him to Oz's Throne and left Ozma in his care before parting ways for good and ultimately disappearing forever and into the unknown to carry on with new duties accompanied by her band of fairy children. The King Pastoria lived a long and wise life and he became very, very old with wrinkled skin and a long white beard. Now, widowed and left on his own with a baby infant and without the guidance of Lurline, Pastoria was not a very powerful King and was only getting older. He lived in a rather small Kingdom in the middle of the land. His people were happy and content as his subjects, but the land of Oz was still inhabited by two Wicked Witches of the East and West lands and who had many people from Oz enslaved. The Wicked Witch of the West had a Golden Cap and the charm of this cap allowed her to command her Winged Monkeys to make the Winkies her Slaves. And the Wicked Witch of the East used the charm of her Silver Shoes to keep the Munchkin people in bondage. The Witches were very powerful indeed, and could do as ever they pleased to anyone or thing that was unlucky to cross the Witches paths. These Witches cast many a spells upon innocent people, turning them into random house or kitchen objects such as flower pots or candle sticks. The Wicked Witches tried many, many times to overthrow Pastoria and take over all of Oz as a whole. Unfortunately Pastoria himself did not know anything about practicing the magic arts, for he depended on his Queen Lurline's magic. So he could not defend himself or his people, the Witches in Oz could have easily taken over and stole the King's Throne and enslaved his subjects to their own pleasing. The only thing that stopped them from truly doing so, was the other two Good Witches of the North and South who lived with the Gillikins, Tattypoo and Lady Glinda who lived in a ruby castle with Quadlings of Oz. The two Good Witches used all the power and sorcery they knew to protect poor Pastoria and his people from harms way. But they were not strong enough to banish the Wicked Witches out of Oz or put an end to them and they're Wickedness all together. One random day, out of the clear blue sky, suddenly a large air-craft of sorts came descending down from the clouds up above, it slowly came to the ground and landed in the exact center of Oz. The people of Oz, Pastoria's subjects and even the Witches of Oz themselves had never seen such a peculiar envention. Inside the basket that was attached to the giant ballon was a man, he called himself Oscar Diggs, and enthusiastically introduced himself as a great Wizard and Magician. And the people of oz believed him as they saw him preform magic tricks right before they're very eyes. The people of Oz asked if the Wizard would be the ruler of the land and he agreed that he would look after Oz and someday rid the land of it's Wicked Witches if they promised to obey his every wish and demand. The people of Oz were gullible people and believed him and his promises. Thus, building the famous Emerald City in his honor and constructing the Yellow Brick Road that led to the main entrance. Shortly after the Wizard overthrew King Pastoria, he simply disappeared from Oz for a long, long time. The only thing he left behind was his baby daughter, the fairy child, Princess Ozma who one day would get old enough to use the magic she had, that ran in her blood, to claim her place as the rightful Heir to her father's Throne. This worried the greedy Wizard as he wanted the Throne all to himself. So one late night, the Wizard snuck into the Palace of Pastoria, and snatched the baby Princess up and disappeared into the dark night. He gave the baby Ozma to a Witch near by named Mombi who lived in the North lands of Oz. Mombi was not as gifted or as powerful as the Wicked Witches in Oz, but she was still very ugly inside and very Wicked nonetheless. Mombi agreed to the Wizard's offer and favor to keep the baby hidden away from the Palace and to never let anyone know where Ozma was. Mombi, transformed Ozma to disguise her as a boy named Tip to work as her personal servant and kitchen slave for many years. Other Oz Beliefs/Versions The history of the Land of Oz is cloudy, since the various Royal Historians have given conflicting accounts of past events. In a sense, like our world here on planet Earth, Oz also is possibly millions of years old. And has so many secrets and unknowable mysteries that a lot is left to the unknown or imagination. And like all fairy/fantasy lands, imagination is what keeps Oz alive, beautiful and in existence. The Fairy Lurline enchanted the Land of Oz so that it became a fairy country, and left one of her fairies to oversee it. During the reign of Ozma's grandfather, four wicked witches banded together to depose the king and rule the four quadrants of the land themselves. Mombi captured the king and kept him prisoner, but was later conquered by the Good Witch of the North. The Wicked Witch of the South was conquered by Glinda. When O.Z. Diggs landed his hot-air balloon in the center of the land, he was thought to be a Wizard and the proper ruler of Oz, due to the initials emblazoned on his balloon. He built the Emerald City and reunited the four kingdoms, although he lived in fear of the four witches. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz) Dorothy Gale was brought to the Land of Oz by a cyclone, killing the Wicked Witch of the East. She also later killed the Wicked Witch of the West and revealed the Wizard as a humbug. The Scarecrow was crowned as the next King of Oz. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) When General Jinjur and her Army of Revolt conquered the Emerald City, Glinda decided not to help the Scarecrow regain the throne. Instead she began a search for Ozma, the rightful ruler. She discovered some collusion between the Wizard and Mombi, and finally restored Ozma to her throne. (The Marvelous Land of Oz) Ozma's inexperience in foreign affairs made an enemy of the Nome King and he later unsuccessfully attempted to invade Oz, after which Glinda erected a protective barrier of invisibility around the entire country. (Ozma of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz) The Land of Oz was completely cut off from the outside world until the Royal Historian was able to make contact with the Shaggy Man via wireless telegraph. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz) Culture Population: Oz is inhabited by more than half a million people, although many of them are not made of flesh and blood. The Royal Historians claim that all of them are happy and prosperous. No disease is known in the land, and no one dies unless they meet with an accident which prevents them from living. Government: Oz is an absolute monarchy, its ruler named Oz or Ozma. This rule is incompletely enforced, as many parts of Oz have never heard of the reigning Princess Ozma. The Emperor of the Winkies, the Monarch of the Munchkins, the King of the Quadlings, and the Sovereign of the Gillikins are all vassals of the Ruler of the Emerald City. Economy: Although money has been used in the past, since the reign of Ozma began it is not a monetary economy; magic is a source of much of its production. There are no rich or poor people, and greed is unknown. Everyone is willing to share what he has in order to make his neighbor happy. (See: Money in Oz) Everyone works half the time and plays half the time, and the people enjoy the work as much as the play. There are no overseers, and each is proud to do his best for his friends and neighbors. Since the Land of Oz is cut off from other countries by the Deadly Desert, it produces all of its own food. Most of its produce is the same as the rest of the world, but there are some foods which are known only in the land of Oz, such as lacasa nectar and tamornas. Also, in many parts of Oz other commodities such as books and guns grow on bushes. Legal System: The people of Oz are generally so well behaved that there is not a single lawyer among them. Eureka the kitten is one of the few defendants who have ever been put on trial. She was judged by a jury of nine (consisting of both people and animals) and was defended by the Tin Woodman. There is only one prison in Oz and it is rarely used. Ojo is the only prisoner to ever spend the night there. Flag: The Royal flag is divided into four quarters colored sky-blue, pink, lavender, and white. In the center is an emerald green star. The colors represent the four countries of Oz, and the star the Emerald City. (See: Flags of Oz) National Anthem: The national air is "The Oz Spangled Banner" and there are many other popular tunes. The people of Oz enjoy festivities and music. Performing groups like the Imperial Cornet Band, the Royal Court Band, the Emerald City Cornet Band, and the Tin Band play at many special occasions. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz) Dominant colors Each of the countries of Oz has its own characteristic and dominant color. In the Munchkin Country that color is blue, in the Winkie Country, yellow; in the Gillikin Country it is purple, and in the Quadling Country, red. The area surrounding the Emerald City is dominated by green. Yet misunderstandings arise on the extent of this color domination. A careful reading of the works of the Royal Historians reveals the true facts. An obvious point is that the Yellow Brick Road that winds through the Munchkin Country is yellow, not blue. When Ozma's party returns to Oz from Ev, after their first defeat of the Nome King, they land in the Munchkin region, and see its "green slopes and wooded hills" before them as they cross the Deadly Desert. (Ozma of Oz) When Tip builds Jack Pumpkinhead in the Gillikin Country, he uses an orange pumpkin for the head, and dresses the stick man in a red shirt and pink vest, which are readily at hand. (The Marvelous Land of Oz) When the Shaggy Man dresses himself in splendor in the Emerald City, he chooses a rose-colored velvet suit, with cream-colored vest and stockings. The furniture around him is done in cloth-of-gold with scarlet embroidery. (The Road to Oz) The Forest of Gugu lies in the purple Gillikin Country; but it is the home of a yellow leopard and a gray ape, and bears of "all sizes and colors," among other animals. (The Magic of Oz) Other examples of color variety in Oz can be given, to show that the color scheme of Oz is far from uniform or absolute, despite the exaggerated claims sometimes made. (There seems to be something about Oz that leads people to hyperbolize and exaggerate on a range of subjects, including death and aging.) Background The Land of Oz was created by L. Frank Baum in his book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is the setting for most of the "Oz" stories, including those written by Baum's successors. The Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man takes place in the Outer Zone, which is a futuristic version of the Land of Oz. References * Suzanne Rahn. The Wizard of Oz: Shaping an Imaginary World. New York, Twayne, 1998. * Richard Tuerk. Oz in Perspective: Magic and Myth in the L. Frank Baum Books. Jefferson, NC, McFarland, 2007. Oz Category:Concepts